Improvement in lock-joints for street-railways



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM c. GoULD, or New Youn, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN LOCK-JOINTS FOR STREET-RAILWAYS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 4 I ,501, dated February 9, 1864.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that. I, WILLIAM C. GoULD, ot' thecity and State ofNew York, have invented a new and improved lockjoint for securing together the ends of rails, such as are used in cities, and usually called city and horse railroads 5 and I do hereby declare that the follo wing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, and of its construction and manner ot' operation, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, and making a part of this specification.

It is well known that the form of the rails which are used in city railroads now so extensively being laid down for the conveyance ot' passengers from one part of a city to another, and which have of necessity to be laid down in streets crowded'with the passing ot'wagons and vehicles ot all descriptions, ditt'ers widely from that of those railswhich are used on railroads where heavy rollin g-stock is demanded and high rates of speed required. The method of travel on such city railroads is also somewhat peculiar, as the cars generally pass continuously in one direction, the number of cars used and the frequency of their trips requiring a distinct track for those moving in either direction.

My invention has reference to a method of fastening and keeping together the ends of such rails, so that Vlighter rails can be used, the motion of the cars rendered less unpleasa-nt,faiid the cars themselves receive less injury.

Figure l is a side and top perspective view of a rail, such as is used on city railroads, and showing the ends of two rails lapped and locked together. Fig. 2 shows the ends of the two rails opened from each other, and showing the form of the joint. Fig. 3 is a bottom View of a rail and the key that locksthe joint.

A portion ofthe upper part of one of the rails is cut away to a little below the central hlloow ofthe rail, as shown at A A, Fig. 2, and as indicated by the lines a af, Fig. 1, andthe under part of the other rail is cut away, as shown at B, Fig. 2, so that when the ends of the two rails are placed upon each other they will form a lap-joint, as shown in Fig. l. The end of the rail which laps over the end or section of the other rail is then placed in a suitable female die prepared for that purpose,

and by means of acorresponding male die the hollow projection or tongue c is formed, the rail having been iirst heated for that purpose, and which is made of the length of the lap. The drawings represent such part C as larger than it will be made in actual practice, its depth being intended to be only such that it shall extend below the thin part ot' the lap ot the other rail j ust far enough to receive a key or piece of metal, so as to prevent the end ot' the upper rail rising or springing` from the lower one. Through the lap section of the other rail a part is cut away, as shown at l), so as to allow the part G of the other rail to pass through it and receive a key or strip of metal, as shown in Fig. 3. The part C, inA stead of being shaped by dies, may be welded or riveted to the under side of the lap, or, when cast-iron rails are used, it may be formed by the casting. lo prevent dirt, gravel, Ste getting into the part C, and thus working between the laps ot' the rail, a small piece of iron may be fitted to the upper part c, of the hollow tongue and driven tightly with a few blows ot' a hammer.

On the uiider side of the rail a key, E, and which need be only a thin, short piece ot'iron, passes through the part G, which extends below therail, projecting a little each way beyond the hollow part C, so that its ends will rest on the under Asurfaces of both rails, as shown in Fig. 3. Such keywill effectually hold the ends of the rails together and prevent them lifting or warping or curving, thus allowing the use of a lighter rail and render the rail more like a continuous one, thus securing greater comfort to passengers and lightening the draft. Such key maybe kept in position by letting its head into the string-plece.

The end of one rail bein g thus caused to lock, substantially in the manner above described, into the end of the other rail, [the track is j made substantially continuous, all lateral motion ofthe two rails upon each other is pre` vented, and neither rail can warp or bend away from the other. A much lighter rail can thus be used, as it has been considered that the weight of the rails may be reduced one-half, provided the ends are kept in perfeet apposition, with aconsequent great saving of expense, and -far less animal power will be required to move the cars, which is very important, it having been estimated that horsepower on railroads now costs $33, where steam costs but $1. The fastening of the ends of the rails also prevents the Wave-like motion in the other parts of the rail and lessens noise and largely reduces the expense of repairin the road.

The use of the key E is not absolutely indispensable, though its use is deemed preferable, and is required where it is necessary for any particular purpose to hold and contine the ends of the rails upon each other. As, however, the cars on city railroads move in hut one direction, and almost always in the saine direction, itis not absolutely necessary to con [ine the laps together, as the weight and pressure ofthe car as it passes along in the direction indicated by the arrow in l (and the rails should always he so laid that the coveringlap shall lie in the same direction as the cars move) will cause the upper lap to lie close upon the underlap of the nextrail as the car passes over, and thus make a continuous bcaring-surface and preventall jar and jolt, such as is now experiened when i :he wheel passes from one rail to another.

It' the key is dispensed with, then the part or depression C need not extend downward l so much, but may be more shallow, and only sniiicient to ill the recess D in the under lap, and in such arrangement also the part-D need not be wholly cut out, but may be sunk or depressed sutticiently to receive a correspondi infr projection made upon the lap of the other rail. As the ears pass over the rails the proljection on the upper lap will be pressed into the corresponding` depressed part ofthe under lap, and thereby thetwo rails kept in line and all lateral movement of the ends of the rails prevented, and also'alljar and jolt avoided.

Vhat l claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The method of connecting the ends ot' rails for city railroads, so as to secure a con tinuons track, hy causing,` one rail to lap upon and enter within another, substantially as described. l

2. The use and application ofthe key E in combination with such laps substantially'as and for the purpose set forth.

VM. G. GOULI).

Witnesses S. l). LAW, ALONZO O. FARNHAM. 

